


Penance

by busket



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:47:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28939461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/busket/pseuds/busket
Summary: A man is born to the Gerudo for the first time in hundreds of thousands of years. The last was a tyrant who warped himself into a monster with his hatred and rage. Despite this, the chief Urbosa adopts the boy as her own.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 41





	Penance

The moon hung over the desert, painting the dunes with strokes of crimson. Urbosa stood on her balcony overlooking the palace courtyard and the rest of the city beyond. She hadn’t been able to sleep, and came outside upon realizing everything in her room had been cast in eerie red light. She had never seen anything like it. It was strange and beautiful, but something about it churned a pit of anxiety in her gut. The desert had never been so quiet.

The stillness was interrupted by rapid footsteps ascending the stairs to her room. A guard entered the threshold and seemed surprised to see her awake. “Lady Urbosa!” she stammered. “I’m sorry to bother you so late, I’ve been sent by a midwife to retrieve you. There’s been an emergency in town regarding childbirth, but she wouldn’t give me any more details.”

Urbosa frowned. Why would a medical emergency require her? Not that it didn’t concern her, but she was the chief of the Gerudo, not a healer or nurse. “Did you alert Koume and Kotake?” she asked.

The guard nodded. “Yes, the elders are already there.”

She felt some relief knowing that; the twin elders had been the former chiefs of the Gerudo and had witnessed countless births. They were well versed in healing and raising children. Urbosa was chief now, but still relatively green. It was good to know her two mentors would be present.

Urbosa put on a robe to protect against the frigid night and followed the guard to the home of the emergency. The midwife stood outside as still as a post casting a long black shadow in the red light. Her hand was clasped over her mouth in shock.

“You there, you’re the midwife aren’t you?” Urbosa asked. “What’s going on, why aren’t you inside doing your duty? Is the mother and daughter safe?”

“My lady!” she gasped. “The...the elders ordered me to wait out here. The mother is…” She closed her eyes and shook her head in pain.

“I see.” Urbosa spoke somberly. “And the baby?”

The midwife was at a loss for words. “...I didn’t think it was possible…” she whispered. “I think...I think it’s best if you see for yourself.”

Urbosa was annoyed at the lack of information, but deemed it faster to see for her own eyes what had happened then try to wring it from this traumatized woman. She entered the home.

In the back of the room, the body of the mother was laying flat on the bed, covered in sheets to preserve her dignity. Koume and Kotake were sitting on the floor, deep in prayer. Between them was a writhing, crying bundle of blankets.

“Gods, where’s your humanity?” Urbosa scolded, and hurried towards the baby to scoop it up. “Isn’t it instinct to comfort a crying newborn? And after her mother has passed, no less. Poor thing...” She brushed away the fabric covering the baby’s face. It was still bloody, the stains on its cheeks being washed away only by the tears that ran down its face as it bawled. 

“That is not an ordinary baby, Urbosa.” Koume said. Her voice was low and serious.

“What? That’s nonsense, she looks perfectly healthy.” Urbosa said, and it was true. Beneath the blood was smooth, soft, olive skin with a rosy glow to its cheeks. Wisps of delicate red hair were growing from its round head, and it was already quite big and heavy for a newborn. She knelt down to the wash bin that the midwife had brought. “She’s been through something traumatic with her mother’s passing, certainly. And neglect at the hands of the midwife and the two of you hasn’t helped matters.” She removed the blankets completely to wash the child, and froze.

“...Do you understand now, Urbosa?” Kotake asked. “This is the first male to be born to our people in countless millennia. And it’s no coincidence.”

“You know as well as we do the fate of the last man to be born to the Gerudo. It is a secret that we chiefs protect with our lives for the safety of our people.” Koume added.

“The return of Calamity Ganon is now overdue by centuries...and tonight, the birth of another Gerudo man is punctuated by the first blood moon in hundreds of years.”

“Don’t you see? Calamity Ganon as we know it is dead, either smited by the gods or through some desperate trick. We may never know, but we are certain of this. That child is Calamity Ganon, reborn.”

Urbosa was completely still, holding the infant in both hands over the wash bin. He had quieted his cries now and only made quiet, pathetic little whimpers. 

“You hold the destruction of Hyrule in your hands, Urbosa. It may be human again, but Calamity Ganon’s terrible power lies latent in that tiny body.” Kotake warned. 

“This is the only time that it may be vulnerable.” Koume said. “His mother died during birth. No one would suspect otherwise to learn that the ‘daughter’ passed as well. A small tragedy to protect Hyrule from a demon.”

“You must make this choice. Drown him, or risk the annihilation of this world.”

Urbosa could not tear her eyes away from the bloody infant. He was reaching up to her with his puny hands, his eyes shut tight, blindly grabbing for something, for comfort, for his mother. She hesitated for a moment, then lowered him into the water.

“This is a child. He is a Gerudo child, not a demon.” She muttered, gently washing the boy. Her tears rolled off her cheeks and into the bath, mixing with the water and blood. “Whatever he was in a previous life, he’s a child and he’s done nothing wrong.”

“And when he is no longer a child? What will you do when his true nature rises to the surface, will you continue to coddle him and make excuses for him?” Koume asked. “When his power and greed becomes too much for you to handle, will you regret the choice you are making now?”

“It won’t happen.” Urbosa said, firmly. She lifted the boy from the water and carefully removed her robe, wrapping him in the clean silk. “I will raise him and watch him closely. He won't be spoiled and worshipped as Ganondorf was, I’ll hold him accountable for every step out of line. I’ll teach him respect and humility.” She held him up and looked at his face. He was beautiful, but the love that she felt blooming inside for him was also terribly painful. “...He'll be good.”

“You are making a mistake, Lady Urbosa.” Kotake said. “You’re letting your compassion for the infant cloud your judgement. Think about the safety of your people.”

“If an innocent child needs to be sacrificed for our safety, then we don’t deserve it.” Urbosa said, holding him close to her. “That's my final word, now return to your prayers with me. Pray that his mother rests peacefully. Pray that this boy will be strong enough to resist the evil surrounding him and his past life. If the gods are the masters of everything at work here, they’ve allowed this to happen, and may they guide him to a new life of righteousness.” 

Koume and Kotake said nothing else, but dutifully lowered their heads to return to prayer. Urbosa looked down at the baby; he was sleeping at last now that he was clean and warm. She ran her hand over his head, stroking the fine little threads of fiery red hair.

Din was the goddess of power; fire, earth, wind, lightning. She created the raw and primordial earth, sculpting it with her mighty, flaming hands so that it could be perfected and made suitable for life. She was one of the most ancient of gods, but had largely fallen out of favor and forgotten. The people of Hyrule prayed to Hylia, but in the desert, the Gerudo still held faith and esteem for Din. It had been Din’s power that Ganondorf had abused to turn himself into the monsterous Calamity Ganon and wreak havoc on the world. Perhaps its death and rebirth was a sign of pity, forgiveness. 

_Protect him, Din._ Urbosa prayed. _Not only from the world that would see him destroyed, but from himself, as well. This time, he will be worthy of your love._

She lifted him and kissed him softly on his forehead, then exited the home. The scarlet light that had been cast over the desert had gone, and Gerudo Town was once again blanketed in clean moonlight. The midwife had disappeared and more guards had arrived to take care of the mother’s body; she had no family, no surviving relatives to adopt her son, but Urbosa would not have let them, anyway. Not him.

The guards looked at her curiously as she walked into the street with the swaddled infant. No one questioned her, but she knew what was on their minds.

“...His name is Aldin.” she said. “He’s my son, now.”


End file.
